Below is a copy of the flu update email sent on the 25th Sept 2013.  It was sent from OUr Flu LEad Sami Hanna.

Good Afternoon

This is for pharmacies offering flu services.

General INFO

I have received a lot of queries about the flu service and understand the frustration there is to get the service up and running.   I can assure that we are working hard to get the details out asap. 
Unfortunately a lot of issues are outside of our control.  You can be assured that as soon as information is released I will get it out to you straight away.
The latest information we have was sent at the weekend and can be read on the Gateshead & South Tyneside LPC website .

http://www.gandstlpc.net/3/post/2013/09/flu-service-update-for-201314.html

Please make sure you are connected to us via email, twitter or facebook to ensure you get the information as soon as it comes out.

Pharmacists who used Novartis Training

Novartis have informed us that there has been a delay in the packs going out however they were dispatched yesterday so they should start arriving imminently.

With regards to Novartis stock, There have been some manufacturing issues this year, due to the change of two out of three strains for the 2013/14 season causing an increase in manufacturing complexity.
Novartis are sending out electronically today generic PGD's to pharmacies to use until their stocks are available.  These will be sent to the email you registered with them when you did the online training.  I will  add them to the resource pages of the Northern Pharmacy websites also shortly.

PLEASE NOTE

The above info is for PRIVATE flu services being offered through the NOvartis Programme.  The NHS PGD will be a generic one where you can use any vaccine.  We are still waiting for this from the area team.

PHARMOUTCOMES

I have been informed that the Pharmoutcomes platform will be ready with the accreditation module ready to use later on today. So in the meantime please makes sure you read my earlier email and action the Pharmoutcomes part.

http://www.gandstlpc.net/3/post/2013/09/flu-service-update-for-201314.html

Thanks

Sami
(Flu Lead for the LPC)

 

The latest information for the flu service can be found below.  Please be sure to read it carefully and action the points in red below.

NHS service

At this point, due to circumstances beyond our control, we do not have the NHS service specification, contract or PGD. We are waiting for these documents from the NHS England area team. We can tell you that we have agreed that the service will be remunerated at £12 per vaccination. Whilst the LPCs locally are disappointed that this is less than previous years and could be viewed as the fee being paid as less than that paid to other primary care providers, we have worked hard to ensure that the service has been commissioned this year.

This year all those eligible for an NHS vaccination can be vaccinated in the pharmacy, provided they are aged 18 or over. This is because children aged 17 years and under should be referred to their GP for the nasal vaccination which has been introduced this year. We are hopeful that pharmacy will be commissioned to administer the nasal vaccination next year and this is being trialed in Cumbria this year.

Claims for the service will be made via PharmOutcomes.

As soon as we have the NHS service specification, contract and PGD, we will notify you and make them available on the Northern Pharmacy website: www.northernpharmacy.net

Private service

If you accessed the LPC commissioned Novartis training, you will find copies of the support documentation on the Northern Pharmacy website soon. If you trained with any other provider, please ensure you follow the details of the PGD provided to you by your trainer. 

All private vaccinations need to be recorded on PharmOutcomes.

Vaccine stock

As the NHS PGD will be generic, you may use any vaccine.

If you are using the Novartis PGD for your private service you will be required to use Novartis vaccines. However, we have been advised that stock will not  be available for the start of the service on 1st October. As Novartis do not want to delay pharmacies from beginning their service provision, they will be issuing a generic PGD to allow you to use any vaccine. Once their stock is available to order, this PGD will be withdrawn and you will need to revert to the Novartis vaccine specific PGD.

Novartis will be providing us with PIP codes for their ring fenced pharmacy stock and we will forward these as soon as they are available. In the interim, we advise pharmacists to order whatever vaccine stock is available to them to commence service on 1st October, through their normal supply chains.

PharmOutcomes

As previously  indicated, all vaccinations need to be recorded on PharmOutcomes. This will generate an invoice for payment to NHS England for the NHS vaccinations you provide and will generate data about the service for all vaccinations, NHS and private, to theLPC.www.pharmoutcomes.org

***** What you need to do now ******

1. Ensure you have your PharmOutcomes log-in details and know how to access the system.
2. Log-in and go to the ‘Admin’ tab and ensure all your details are fully completed and correct, for example, email address and telephone number.
3. Within the next seven days, you will need to log-in and check the service section. You will find a new service ‘Seasonal Influenza pharmacist accreditation details’. You must complete the details required for each trained pharmacist, in order for the vaccination service templates to be activated for you. The training details will be validated prior to activation.
4. Once the vaccination service templates are activated, you will see three additional services when you log-in, NHS service, private service and patient evaluation. 

Patient evaluation

After every vaccination (private or NHS) ask your patient to complete an evaluation form. This will also keep them in the pharmacy, so you can be assured that they are not going to develop anaphylaxis after they leave the pharmacy. These evaluation details are then transferred to the PharmOutcomes service template. This is essential to provide robust data to the LPCs and NHS England regarding patient choice of service provider and quality of service experience.

Resources

As soon as we receive the NHS supporting documentation, this will be made available on a resource page on the Northern Pharmacy website. Supporting documents, such as the consultation form/GP notification form, evaluation form, etc. will also be available on this page.  This page, as previously stated, will also contain Novartis documentation.

Marketing materials

Those who have completed the Novartis training will receive marketing materials with their support pack. These are being sent out in batches and we understand that delivery has now started.

As we do not yet have any NHS marketing material, we have updated that which has been used in previous years and this is available on the marketing page of the Northern Pharmacy website. Please start using this material as you see fit to advertise your service to patients.  A direct link to the marketing page is  www.northernpharmacy.net/marketing-material.html

As we more information, we will keep you updated so make sure you are on our mailing list or following us on Facebook or twitter.

Adjustments are being made to Category M generic reimbursement prices from October informed by the assessment of medicine margin in 2012/13. The adjustments will reduce medicine margin by £40 million (ie £20 million per quarter) for the period October 2013 to March 2014. This is 8.3 pence per item.

This adjustment has been agreed between the Department of Health (DH), which remains responsible for determining drug reimbursement prices, and PSNC.

An October adjustment is in keeping with usual practices and this adjustment is being made at this stage with the aim of maintaining smooth funding flows and avoiding significant corrections for pharmacy contractors and the NHS.

The level of adjustment being made is considered prudent, especially in the context of on-going funding negotiations for 2013/14.    PSNC, DH and NHS England remain fully committed to those on-going negotiations and good progress is being made.

PSNC have said that It is important to reach the right agreement, even if this takes some time.

October 2013 Category M price listsThe Department of Health has announced the new Category M prices which will apply to prescriptions from October until December 2013. To view the October 2013 price list please visit the Category M section of the PSNC  website.

NHS England has agreed to extend the commissioning of the New Medicine Service (NMS) until the end of December 2013, the PSNC has confirmed.

This means that community pharmacies can continue to recruit new patients to the service up until December 31st 2013 and will receive payment for these patients even where the service is completed in January or February 2014. The service specification will remain the same.

No decision has been made about the future of the service beyond December but this is under active discussion as part of PSNC’s ongoing funding negotiations with NHS England.

The long-term future of the service will also be informed by the Department of Health (DH) commissioned evaluation of the service which is expected to be published in early 2014.

PSNC Head of NHS Services Alastair Buxton said:

"We are very pleased that NHS England has agreed to extend the New Medicine Service while we continue our negotiations and await the outcome of the DH commissioned evaluation of the service.

We are working in a resource starved health service but the fact that the NHS shares our concerns and does not want to stop this service, which has shown such promising outcomes so far, is very positive.

We will give community pharmacies and LPCs more news as soon it is available but for now they can continue to recruit patients to this important service."

Dave Carter - Gateshead & South Tyneside LPC Chairman said:

"This is great news for community pharmacy.  This service has been well received and we are confident it will evaluate positively in the long run and hopefully be commissioned permanently .  I would encourage local contractors to continue to engage with the service to help improve outcomes for patients."

A training session is being held on 19th September 2013.  The session covers supporting pregnant women to quit smoking.

The training will take place at 
The Dryden Centre,
Evistones Road,
Low Fell,
Gateshead
 NE9 5UR

The  course starts at 2pm and finishes at 8pm.  Refreshments will be provided. 

Attendance is free.  If you would like to reserve a place, please email or phone Barbara Bailey (Babyclear Project Administrator)    Tel: 01926 490111 / 01926 490190   Fax: 01926 678698    Email: bbailey@pmaresearch.co.uk

Full Details of the training are listed below. 

Aim
To enable participants to deliver person centred care and support that empowers and supports pregnant smokers to change their smoking behaviour and sustain the change.

Objectives
This course will provide participants with the skills to:
• Establish a positive relationship with the pregnant smoker built on trust and agreement.
• Empower the pregnant smoker to make their own decisions about quitting smoking.
• Demonstrate you understand the difficulties associated with quitting smoking during pregnancy.
• Explore the pregnant woman’s personal beliefs about her continued smoking, including her internal feelings and any external criticism or environmental pressures she may be experiencing.
• Adopt a non-prescriptive negotiating style that supports the client’s desire to change and encourages her to consider all the issues and make positive choices.
• Respond specifically and appropriately to what the pregnant woman says, utilising reflecting listening, open questioning and summarising skills to elicit self- motivational statements.
• Provide confidence building messages to build up the woman’s self-esteem.


Method
The focus of this course will be to increase and enhance the one-to-one communication skills of the participants, through experiential learning, role play, small group discussions, sharing of case studies and team work.

Agenda for day.
2pm - 2.20pm
Welcome, housekeeping details, introductions of trainers and participants.

2.20pm-2.50pm
Setting the context
The evidence of harm, a local perspective and an introduction to the babyClear approach

2.50pm-3.30pm
Understanding the problem
Why do some pregnant women continue to smoke and find it hard to stop?

3.30pm-4pm
Enabling behaviour change
How to deliver effective messages

4pm-4.30pm
Responding to Heart Sink Statements
In small groups participants will work with case studies to respond to heart sink statements.

4.30pm-5pm
Light Refreshments break

5pm-6pm
Communications Exercise

6pm-6.15pm
Carbon Monoxide Test
Delivering key messages/risks of smoking

6.15pm-7pm
Role play using Case Studies
Case studies include initial meeting and maintaining relationships

7pm-7.15pm
Risk Perception Tool and DVD

7.15pm-7.45pm
Frequently Asked Questions
Supervised by the trainer, participants will practice responding appropriately to a range of client statements.

7.15pm-8.00pm
Questions/Course Evaluation and close of training